Branar theatre keeping children centre stage at 25th anniversary event
When Marc Mac Lochlainn was studying for his arts degree in the 1990s, psychology was one of his subjects. Back then, the experts agreed that watching TV was bad for children's development.
Times change.
Now, says Marc, TV is far better than the unmediated content children are exposed to on phones, tablets and computers, because everything on TV goes through an editorial process.
Marc is clued into childhood development, having set up Branar in 2001 to give children access to world-class arts and to nurture their creativity. Since then, shows such as 'How to Catch a Star', 'Maloney's Dream', 'Sruth na Teanga', 'Rothar' and 'Ballad of a Bandit', have captured imaginations at home and abroad, in schools and in theatres.
“Everything we do is focused on children, offering creative engagement to improve their experience of childhood,” says Marc.
The company is marking its 25th anniversary with a Wonder-full symposium next Wednesday, November 11, which will explore the future of childhood in Ireland.
The brainchild of the company's Executive Producer, Joanne Beirne, this free event is in Druid's Mick Lally Theatre from 11am to 5pm. Speakers will include US journalist and critic, Alexandra Lange, who won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism for a series on how urban design and architecture affect children and families. Having read her book, ‘The Design of Childhood: How the Material World Shapes Independent Kids', Marc is a fan.
Last year, Branar staged its show 'You'll See' – a children’s version of ‘Ulysses’ – in New York's Lincoln Center and he invited her to attend. Now she's coming to Galway.
“She has important opinions on the importance of play for children; the right kind of play,” says Marc, mentioning 'danger play'. Until relatively recently, “this was just known as play”.
However, today's children spend more time indoors, while playgrounds have less equipment – partly due to insurance issues – meaning 'danger play' isn't available to them. To address this, some countries have created playgrounds where kids can build equipment, “take risks, make mistakes and learn from them”, says Marc.
Branar has always taken risks, making “brave decisions in terms of shows” as it aims to entertain, create wonder and leave a long-term legacy. Much of its work is in theatres, but mostly it's in schools.
Under one scheme, Branar sa Scoil, the company is partnered with four Deis schools – two in the city, two in the county – creating a programme of shows and workshops for every pupil, across different art forms.
For that reason, the work of another of Wednesday's speakers, Fabiola Camuti, who is Professor of Critical Creative Pedagogies at HKU University of the Arts Utrecht, resonates.
“It's about putting creativity at the centre of education and seeing changes in schools,” says Marc.
Branar sa Scoil began as a pilot scheme, funded by Galway 2020 and has continued, with funding from Galway City Council and more recently from the charity Rethink Ireland. Teachers report that “by having arts and artists in school, children are engaged and the atmosphere changes”, Marc says.
Professor of psychology at DCU, Vlad Glaveanu, is another speaker. He's the founder of a group, 'The Possibility Studies Network', which poses the question 'What if?'.
“'What if?' is central to our work,” says Marc, “and Vlad has also written an amazing book on the power of wonder.”
Branar shows are never “laden with text”, something that “leaves room between the piece of art and the audience. It's in that space that the wonder occurs”, Marc explains. He’s also speaking at the symposium, and is well aware that inequality is an issue for children when it comes to wonder and possibility.
Branar wants the event to generate conversation and “ignite a spark that will begin to change things for children”, allowing them to experience “the best possible childhood” and letting “them see society respects them”. Among those invited to the symposium, which will have a post-speaker discussion, are educators, artists, Arts Council representatives, public representatives and staff from the Department of the Taoiseach. It's free but must be booked.
Go to branar.ie/en/symposium. Anyone with access requirements can email [email protected].